Cheater’s Guide to Baseball

I can't help but recommend this book to anyone and everyone who likes baseball... and even those who really don't. A funny book about all the cheaters in baseball? What can be better than that during the steroid era?

Admin

Attendance

Off The Radar

Ever wander away from the game for a few months and then check back and all of a sudden there is a group of prospects that you've never heard of before?

Nah, me neither. But if you did some of the top names would be foreign to you once you returned. The prospect turnover rate is higher than it is at McDonald's in South Central.

The best prospects either swiftly move through the minors and become major leaguers or their progress stagnates and they are no longer seen in the same status.

Lately, the M's have seen the former happen with a few of their own; Clint Nageotte, Yorman Bazardo, Travis Blackley, Mike Morse, and to a lesser extent, Greg Dobbs, Jamal Strong, who just signed a minor league deal with Atlanta, and Michael Garciaparra.

But someone is always there to take their place as the organization's top prospects.

Usually they are either currently in college and yet to be drafted, still playing in their homeland's summer and winter leagues or working out down in Peoria.

They remain off the radar until they get the chance to break through.

Here are the top 10 candidates to break into the spotlight over the next few years, starting with this summer.

10. Jose Escalona, LHP – Wisconsin: A pretty solid arsenal for a 20-year-old puts Escalona on top of the pack that did not compete in the US last season. He'll need time to develop but he's got the feel for pitching and is showing that with the Rattlers.

9. Julio Santiago, LHP – Inland Empire: Similar to Escalona, minus a few natural mphs on the radar gun. Santiago has a better set of secondary pitches right now and a little bit better control. He could move a little faster through the system.

8. Marwin Vega, RHP – Wisconsin: Struggling of late, but has better current stuff than any starter below AA San Antonio. Vega will not be 20 until the year is over, so he has time to sharpen his control and continue to develop his change and breaking ball. Velocity (87-90) is fine and will only get better.

7. Greg Halman, OF – Everett: Possesses some intriguing power potential and his 6-4, 200-pound frame backs that up. Two-time MVP in the Netherlands, Halman had a pretty good year in the rookie league last summer. He'll see Everett this June and won't be 19 until late August.

6. Jair Fernandez, C – Everett: The best among a group of teenage catchers the M's have nabbed in the past two years. Fernandez is just 19 and the club believes he can develop better than average offensive skills while providing plus defense.

5. Miguel Marquez, RHP – Everett: Marquez posted an ERA over seven last year in Peoria but everyone keeps telling me to ignore it. He can miss bats and has a plus fastball in the 90-94 range. Could be a front-line starter with time.

4. Jeffrey Dominguez, SS – Wisconsin: After not hitting much in his first full year as a pro, Dominguez has been well above .300 for the T-Rats, spending most of the year as the leadoff hitter. His defensive tools suggest he can remain a shortstop, though his bat may ultimately play better at second base, where he could project as a gold glover.

3. Chia-An Huang, RHP – Peoria: Huang has some serious off field issue to clear up before returning to the field, but he's got all the tools to become a frontline starting pitcher. He's typically in the 90-94 range with his fastball but sat 87-89 last summer in the rookie league. Huang stands 6-feet, 2 inches and weighs in at 220 pounds at just 20 years of age. Even considering his extra-curricular problems, his pure stuff cannot be ignored.

2. Michael Saunders, OF – Wisconsin: Prematurely, Saunders has been ranked as high as 7th on various prospect lists, but the holes in his swing have to be mended before he gets that kind of praise from me. His swing is long and though he can draw a walk, his command of the strike zone needs work. At 6-4, he's a very good athlete currently playing center field for the Rattlers, but his future is in right field. His left-handed power potential reminds many of Kevin Maas. But it's still raw and his approach needs refining.

1. Hui Kuo Lo, OF – Everett: Lo, a Taiwan native, was signed in July of last year and at 20, should get a shot at Everett next month. Lo is a right-handed hitter with medium power and strong athletic skills. He's likely to play a lot of right field but the M's may see a reason to see what he has in center. He has the speed for the gig and showed in last Fall's instructional league that he can track fly balls with ease. Lo is not much of a project compared to the rest of this list and if he can get past the language and cultrual barriers, he's certainly one to watch.

He was on the provisional roster but may have just prefered not to be considered or they felt he was too young, because he obviously wasn't on the final roster.
Re: Huang… it's all a very strange story that I have heard 1/2 of third-fourth party and half from the M's.

I won't go into details since I can't be confident that they are correct, but Huang was rumored to be in some trouble, apparently.

The M's believe it'll get straightened out, but aren't expecting him to pitch until July at the earliest.

JHsaid

Halman is HUGE. If he’s really just 18 (no reason to doubt it), he oozes projectability. They had both him and Lo alternating at all 3 outfield spots in ST/EST, though I couldn’t really see either of them having the range to stick in center.

Another catcher of interest is Juan Beltran. He’s a bit old for his level (will be 20 this year), and has questionable power, but he’s a plus defender behind the plate who also has plus speed.

Alex Liddi is another infield prospect the team seems high on. He’ll probably start the season in the AZL. He was signed as a SS but might be switched to 3B.

Have you heard anything from Ms scouts about a kid named Salinas, Jason? (I have his first name written down somewhere but don’t feel like looking for it).

JHsaid

Yeah, Beltran seemed really small for a catcher, but damn he moved well behind the plate.

Liddi to the OF is a surprise. I only saw him at SS and 3B down in Arizona. I only saw him bat a few times, so there’s little I can say about him other than he’s big and seems to have some power.

Jason: I sent you a message about a week ago, but you might not’ve gotten it. The highlights: I’m back in Washington, and I’ll be here for the next 2 weeks before heading to NY for a little bit. I’ll send you an email about meeting up and talking shop.

[…] According to Prospect Insider, former Mariner prospect Jamal Strong has signed a deal with the Atlanta Braves. Interesting, not sure where he’s going to land in the orginization most likely Richmond or Mississippi. […]

slimsaid

I only made it down to one minor league practice session in Peoria this spring, but the one thing that I couldn’t help but notice: Jair Fernandez is a chatterbox. I don’t think he ever stopped talking and most of it was aimed at encouraging his teammates. He was fun to watch.

(The second most notable thing from ST: Andy Hargrove might be wider than he is tall.)

Gregorio Rosario will be a guy we’re really starting to think about a year or two down the road, just not now. And that’s fine by me, ’cause with an Everett outfield featuring Graterol, Halman, and Lo, the Aquasox are going to eat up a lot of my time this year.

Andrensaid

Dave Cairnssaid

Outfielder Jamal Strong was signed as a free agent and added to the R-Braves’ roster. Strong played in 14 games with Iowa (Chicago Cubs’ organization) before being released. He hit .293 with four homers and 36 RBI and had 25 steals with Triple-A Tacoma last year. He also played in 16 games with Seattle. Strong struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance last night.